Surfboard leashes are utilized as means to connect surfers, long boarders, paddle boarders, foil boarders, sail boarders, body boarders and/or any other watersports vehicle users to their boards in a reliable manner with minimal drag. The main advantage of using a leash is that board riders don't easily get separated from their boards, thus alleviating the need to swim in order to recover their board after a wipeout or falling from their board. If a board rider should become separated from a board, they could have to swim a considerable distance in order to recover theft board and risk fatigue or drowning. An additional advantage of using a board leash is that the board won't easily become dislodged and collide with other board riders or swimmers causing damage or injury to either the boards, swimmers or the board riders themselves,
Surf leashes incorporate a cuff for attaching a limb of a surfer, a leash cord and a mechanism for attaching the leash to a board. The connection mechanism for the leash cord to the surfboard is commonly called the rail saver. The rail saver's function is two-fold, to protect the rails (edges) of a board that come in contact with the leash from being damaged from the pressure of the leash cord and to also connect the leash to the board and to the rider. While riding waves in the ocean or white water in rivers the force of moving water pushes the board away from the riders and makes it difficult to hold on to or grasp the board until calmer water is found. Riders may also find themselves being pulled under water when separated from theft board and away from the buoyancy benefits of theft boards. Some boards, such as body boards, do not inherently include a rail saver, but could benefit from control provided by a rail saver handle.
Improvements are needed for allowing water sports participants to have greater control over their boards when they fall off. This is particularly noticeable in the highly variable water conditions encountered while surfing or river running. There have been many instances of injury to fingers and hands when a board rider has attempted to control a board by grabbing onto a standard water sport leash. Presently, surfboards, long boards, paddle boards, foil boards, sail boards, body boards and/or any other watersports vehicles do not generally include a built-in handle to grasp and/or hold on to, and currently marketed leashes for such waterspouts vehicles do not include a handle. Instructors of surf lessons, SUP lessons and other waterboard sports can also benefit from the opportunity to control their students' boards with a rail saver handle.
Thus, a need exists for a leash that incorporates a “rail saver with a handle” to provide an aspect of control of the board and also providing safety in variable water conditions, by enabling board riders to easily grab and hold onto theft boards.
The current invention provides just such a solution by providing a product which is a “rail saver with a handle” attached to a leash and is used to grab, hold and control surf boards, long boards, paddle boards, foil boards, sail boards, body boards other water sports vehicles while in the water.
The “rail saver with handle” may be constructed out of nylon or polyester but is not limited to these materials. The handle may have a protective cover made of plastic, neoprene or other material, for increased comfort and/or to facilitate the grip of the handle. The handle aspect of the “Rail saver with handle” is connected to the rail saver in a location near the junction of the leash cord as well as connected at the board end of the rail saver, near the junction of the nylon rope that connects the rail saver to the board. The size of the handle is designed to bow out to allow the board rider's hand to easily grab and fit into the handle. The handle design does not impede the attachment of a leash to a board and may vary in size.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it limited to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.